The National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) has released details for its upcoming 39th annual convention slated for July 11 – 16 in Houston. Note that the convention has added a day this year, going from Monday until Saturday.
This year’s theme is “The Church Sings.”
We are a pilgrim people; we are all migrants. We are formed by various languages and cultures to become an incarnate Church that grows and lives by God’s grace beyond all borders, beyond even the borders of space and time. From its beginning, the Church in the United States was born elsewhere and grew up here. Today, we face new challenges in welcoming the stranger, new frontiers that call us to shape a circle ever wider to embrace our brothers and sisters in the faith who speak other languages and are shaped by other cultures, other experiences.
Ministers within the liturgical apostolate, particularly pastoral musicians, face challenges of serving communities that are increasingly diverse, but the task of drawing communities together as one in faith has not changed. In this, our 40th year, NPM is committed, as we have been since our foundation, to fostering the art of musical liturgy as a path to living—and worshiping—as one Body in Christ.
Plenary sessions include addresses by Tony Ricard, C. Vanessa White, Michael Joncas, Paul Turner, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Carolyn Woo, President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services.
New this year is a Eucharistic Holy Hour, Tuesday at 10pm. Other features are Durufle’s Requiem sung by the by the archdiocesan choir of Galveston-Houston, and a concert by Chanticleer on Wednesday night. This year the Jubilate Deo award will be given to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who will also preside and preach at the main convention Eucharist, and the Pastoral Musician of the Year award will be given to Jaime Cortez.
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